Michelle Obama Commencement Speech Analysis

Everyone has his own reason for attending college. For some, it is to gain knowledge. For others, it is to increase chances of having a stable career and future. Some attend college simply because it seems like the natural thing to do. However, Michelle Obama proclaims that a college degree comes with the obligation to spread newfound knowledge to future generations and to improve the state of our country. While this is a noble statement, it does not change the fact that college attendance and the acquisition of a degree never oblige one to do anything. Rather, the choice belongs to the graduate. Throughout her commencement speech at Bowie State University, Obama repeatedly announces that graduates have the duty to educate future generations for the sake of giving meaning to their past; she urges them to keep alive the hunger for knowledge and improvement. In her Bowie State University Commencement Speech, Michelle Obama utilizes historical events to relay her point which states that graduates have the obligation to improve future
However, her main point holds no truth because morals are subjective and are therefore not the same between every individual. Although many see the good nature of Obama’s intentions and see that she desires the best for the country, she bases her arguments off of her own morals and places weight on the shoulders of the graduates that never belongs there. While many will undoubtedly go on to educate others or use their degrees in some way to benefit future generations, nobody has an obligation to do so. Rather, it is a personal choice that each individual must make based on his or her own moral values. This lack of an obligation and freedom to choose one’s own path is the true example of freedom for